In 1968, the view west on Chandler Street (Route 122) toward Park Avenue, from the intersection with Bellevue Avenue, included the imposing Harrington & Richardson Inc. factory in the distance. At the time this photo was taken, the company had a contract to supply M-16 rifles for the U.S. Army.

H&R, as its brand was known, specialized in “bureau-drawer specials,” which were inexpensive, small-caliber home and personal defense guns, usually .22 caliber. The company also produced “The Topper,” an inexpensive, single-shot shotgun. H&R had other factories in Gardner and Rochdale, a Leicester neighborhood.

The H&R factory building in Worcester was demolished in 1985 to make way for a Burger King restaurant, and now is the site of a Walgreens pharmacy. But many of the residences and small businesses in the 1968 photo remain intact in 2012 — a testament to how Worcester neighborhoods thrive despite the loss of a large employer like H&R.

The brick building on the right foreground is now a Chinese restaurant; the four-deckers on the left remain much the same, with the exception of a few coats of paint and siding.